Crazy Idea, Crazy Me? Both? Neither?

mamashesheAugust 17, 2012

Hollysprings, EAM and others have been angels trying to help me with my I-love-everything-but-can't-visualize-the-effect-together design issues for my kitchen with a little Mexican flair. I combined yet more ideas (dangerous, I know) and I need help visualizing it all together. So building from the bottom, this is my flooring (already purchased):

Now, how about 4 rows of this mexican tile mozaic stuff? (this is the crazy part), with more of the white tiles on top. It gives me mexican and a splash of a lot of color, and my husband could very well hate it, but thought it just might be cool.

Skip doing the white entirely. It's like you are trying to apologize for using something colorful by sticking it in there. Have the courage of your convictions. You love the tile. USE the tile! Just make sure there is enough terra cotta and black in the snips to work with the cabinets and counters. And you'll need some black elsewhere in the kitchen to echo the counter.

Mama
Love your elements, I have many of the same in my kitchen. I would get some of both tile and play with some creative install ideas - using a strip in middle of field, top, bottom, random or as a focal behind range. The tiles are likely different thicknesses so will be a more labor intensive install. Talk to your tile person.
I agree with holly, terra cotta/orange elements wil work nicely with your palette

Holly, okay (deep breath) so I was kind of excited about this idea because to me the pendant and crazy mosaic tile kind of give a more contemporary feel, which I was told were more in line with the cabs and cambria countertop. Loved your tile suggestion on the other post, but I just know my husband hates too much green. So I'm trying to work with the cherry, work with the tile, not go too blue, and not go green.

By skipping the white entirely, are you suggesting the entire backsplash in the mosaic? I love color, but I'm not sure I'm that bold.

The fixtures are all ORB, which reads black to me, and I have wrought iron accessories. Still, that's not much black. Do you think a dark brown countertop would work better? Like his one?

I love it. More importantly, you're not looking at elements on a computer screen, you can see them and experience them in real light, in your own space. You are the expert! I think the black counter is perfect with this iteration of items. I love the mosaic AND the fixtures, and they do go together (previous counter choice and bs tile were a little off - I feel bad for having pointed that out, but this is so much better), and the black is prettier than the brown for your cabs, and the field tile will bring in the light. I think it's a great combo. Is there any way you could afford a whole wall of the mosaic over the range?

Mama, when Holly and I agree, you might want to reconsider something. When we disagree, you know you're in opinion territory.

We both had an issue with the bs in your last thread (for me it was the counter). But that blue tile/bs with cherry cabinets post - she liked it, I'd rip that out in a heartbeat. Just because HGTV used it doesn't mean it's right. In fact, that should be a new thread! Holly and I are disagreeing again, so you're in opinion territory, no major problems, full speed ahead. I think you current choices are beautiful and work well together. All that really matters is what you think.

If you actually look at the tile, you'll see that antique white IS a color in the mosaic, it goes well with the counter and the cabs, although H will disagree there too. She doesn't like white with cherry, I don't like full-on blue with cherry. Opinion.

Congrats on finding a beautiful solution, and good luck on the reno. Make sure to post lots of pics in the process!!!

And just to further prove that we are in opinion territory, I'm not a fan of the greens. And I would never do all that in mosaic. Those pieces strike me as 1/2" to 3/4" rows, add grout between each one and you have a lot of horizontal lines running around your kitchen. Way too many lines with pieces of broken patterns. I love the colors and love the patterns, but if I wanted a larger mosaic statement, I would not do lots and lots of little rows. I might go get broken pots and do my own mosaic so that it is irregular and more natural, especially in the larger area behind the cooktop.

The mosaic works for me as an accent -- I loved your original idea, but would just play with how many rows to take around. Get some samples of the tile to actually play with. Even go so far as to lay them out on a copier and make pages of patterns to play with. I didn't do that, but I think it's a good idea if you are playing with something strong like these colors and patterns. You can tape them up and play with them until you have something that greets you with a smile in the morning and doesn't give you a headache att he end of the day.

I have three pencil lines running around my kitchen (together as one wider band) and that was the right balance for me. I just ran my insert across the entire counter atarting about a foot or so up and right across the cooktop area. I also have a potfiller and didn't want to break up anyting and didn't come up with anything I didn't think I would tire of. I like it simple and in 6 years have never regretted not doing more.

If you want a larger area above the cooktop and don't like a more natural mosaic, consider an accent piece to make a statement there. There are plenty of plates and platters, tiles and plaques that could give you at least one piece of unbroken pattern for your eyes to rest on -- flowers, parrots or just the painted patterns. Mexican pottery is abundant. You should have lots of options and be able to go as simple or as bold as you like (just make sure you like it day in and day out).

I do love the mixed bold colors too. Have always liked those. You can mix those any way you want to balance your blue and green or any other colors.

And I like white and blue with cherry, but I'm not a green or gold person.

OK, :) here it is with the white. And yes, white is a background color to much off the tile, but it too will have to be used quite quite a bit in the room as a color, NOT as a "default neutral" for this to work. And the biggest objection I have to the white is that it look too much like a bathroom. Why pay good money or talavera in the same color you can get for 22 cent each at HD and have it look 98% the same from 5 feet away? White is also too washed out looking with the light flooring, IMHO. It doesn't stand up to the other elements, especially the strong color of the cherry cabinets which dominate the choices. It falls down flat.

And yes, it still looks like you think you have to choose a neutral to be able to use the colorful tile. Choosing color needs no apology! Just don't "play it safe" doing it.

I don't know if this is an idea you can spring off from, but I love this backsplash. It's from tiledots.com and they may have other ideas on their website. They use only three rows of tile--large format subway tiles for the top and bottom rows and a wide band of very bold tile in between. It gets you away from using a lot of grout lines. Maybe the large format could help tie in the contemporary feel of the quartz. IIRC, weren't you also using a SS chimney-style hood? Contemporary too!

I like lascatx's idea of incorporating Mexican pottery. Do you have a display nook anywhere in the kitchen? My sister put one over her fridge in place of cabinets. It's got a few pieces of pottery in her kitchen colors.

What about combining the elements? Here's the original tile you loved as a focal point, with the strip tile as an accent, together with the blue field tile that carries the color around the room. I added the black liners to bring the black into the backsplash more and to frame the feature tiles to seem a bit less busy.

I'm not a fan of the white tile as Holly laid it out. I much prefer one of the colors. White "is" in the tile, but it's not nearly the predominant background color. I love the 2nd to last pic suzannesl posted, but I still think with mamashshe's tile it would have to be a different field color than white.